6.1 Art Cultures Of Asia

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Auspicious Cranes

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A hand scroll from the Northern Song Period (AD 1112). This piece was painted to remind people about the time 20 cranes flew over the emperor's palace, a real-life event interpreted as a sign that Huizong's power was granted by the heavens.

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Bi

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Jade disks used for funerary rituals in ancient China.

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Bichitr

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(ca. 1600 – 1660) A Mughal painter known for European influences on his work.

Major works: Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Sheikh to Kings, ca. 1620; Jujha Singh Bundela Kneels in Submission to Shah Jahan, 1630.

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Calligraphy

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Any highly stylized form of fine writing that emphasizes creating beautiful characters. Calligraphy is a form most often used in Asian and Arabic cultures.

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Dotaku

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An ancient Japanese bell made of bronze.

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Earthenware

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A low-fire, porous ceramic such as terracotta. It was commonly used in ancient China to hold dry goods and is still used today.

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Fan Kuan

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(ca. 990 – ca. 1030) A Chinese painter.

Major works: Travelers Among Mountains and Streams and Winter Landscape with Temples and Travelers, both ink-on-silk hanging scrolls from the Song dynasty.

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Gandhara Style

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An artistic style named after Gandhara, Pakistan, one of the two earliest centers of Buddhist art. Dominant from the 1st to 5th centuries, the style was heavily influenced by ancient Greece and includes features such as a halo around Buddha's head and toga-style robes.

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Huizong

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An accomplished painter and emperor of the Song dynasty from 1100 to 1126.

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Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Sheikh to Kings

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A circa 1620 allegorical painting by Bichitr, in which EmperorJahangir sits on an hourglass that represents his life. As his time wanes, angels inscribe a phrase that the emperor will live for 1,000 years. This painting shows the European influence on Indian art that started in the 16th century.

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Katsushika Hokusai

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(1760 – 1849) A Japanese printmaker known for the series "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji."

Major works: The Great Wave Off Kanagawa from "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji," ca. 1826 – 1833; The Talisman, 1822.

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Mathura Style

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An artistic style named after a city in Northern India, one of the two earliest centers of Buddhist art. Most Mathura style art came out of the Gupta period (AD 320 to 530), called the "Golden Age of India." Mathura Buddhas are generally unadorned and closely resemble traditional representations of Indian gods.

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Ming Vase

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One of the first porcelain vessels, made during the Ming dynasty and today the most famous pottery in the world. Porcelain is made from kaolin clay, which has a special mineral that can withstand high heats and turns a desirable white color.

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Mosque

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A building dedicated to Islamic worship.

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Mughal Empire

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An Indian empire based in Delhi that lasted from 1526 to 1857. Art from this time is characterized by strong European influences.

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Stoneware

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A high-fire type of ceramic that becomes hard as stone when fired. It was commonly used in ancient China to hold liquids and is still used today.

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Stupa

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A large, mound-shaped shrine dedicated to Buddha.

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Taj Mahal

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Built in Agra from 1642 to 1647, a building that is considered one of the most breathtaking examples of Islamic architecture. It appears to float over the gardens and pools that surround it. The pointed arches direct the eyes up toward the heavens, and the balance between the vertical and horizontal elements of the building give it a sense of perfect proportion.

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Terracotta Army

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A series of more than 8,000 ceramic soldiers, horses, and chariots commissioned by the first emperor of the Qin dynasty circa 210 BC. Each figure has distinct facial features, giving the massive project a sense of individuality.

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"Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji"

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A famous series of prints, from woodcuts by Katsushika Hokusai, in which Mount Fuji is represented in 36 different images. Due to the popularity of the series, 10 additional views were added later.

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Travelers Among Mountains and Streams

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A hanging scroll by Fan Kuan that represented a new tradition of Chinese painting in which nature was the most sacred subject. There is a sense of aerial perspective in the fog between the foreground and background. The mountains and vegetation are rendered with a sense of realism, and the figures in the foreground are small to emphasize the grandeur of nature.

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Victoria Terminus

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A building in Mumbai, designed by Frederick W. Stephens, that marked the Britishpresence in India during the 19th century.